Crux of the Cross Week 4: Revelation – Luke 19:28-40
The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, March 24, 2024 at our West U Baptist campus. To view the sermon in full, check out the link below.
Good to be here with you this morning and online. Grab your Bible and meet me in Luke 19
Koji Minami is an incredible Illustrator and creative director based in Seattle, Washington. The design company he works for asked him to do an interesting project and bring it to life. Here’s the project: ask a group of kids the best ways to describe God, and illustrate their descriptions. What did the kids say?
- A guy up in the clouds like on the Simpsons.
- He’s invisible.
- God has two heads, a round button nose, body of a frog and the head of Lion.
- He has a mohawk and he doesn’t need to wear clothes.
- He has big hands and arms at his side, ready to control all things in the universe.
- At one point one of the kids looked at what he illustrated on paper, and said, “O man, what have we done. God may be angry right now. I’m sorry God!”
What about you, have you ever wondered what God looks like? Close your eyes for a minute and listen to Colossians 1:15 and 19: He is the image of the invisible God…For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” Also Hebrews 1:3-4 says…
Hebrews 1:3-4
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
It’s difficult to describe what God looks like, maybe even impossible, but here’s what Paul says, and I think this helps us tremendously – If you want to know what God looks like, what God is like look at Jesus. Jesus is the image – meaning resemblance, profile of the INVISIBLE God. Meaning, Jesus is the perfect representation of God.
Each week, we have a symbol, representing what we are to know about the cross of Jesus, and why it matters.
Week 1 – HEB Bag – our Substitution
Week 2 – Gift Card – our Redemption
Week 3 – Ring – Our Reconciliation
This Week 4 – Binoculars – Our Revelation of God
You see, binoculars help you see something up close that you can’t see from afar…They magnify!
And that is what Jesus has done. He has magnified God the Father to us all! He shows us His heart…His love…His mercy and His Great Grace!
You see, our Big Idea Today is: Jesus came to serve us by being God’s revelation to the world. One of the keys to Jesus coming to us is to show God to us.
Luke 19:28-40
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
What is it that Jesus reveals to us about God the Father? What is it that God wants you and me to know?
What Jesus Reveals to Us…
- God is the Savior who Suffers
I. God is the Savior who Suffers
Luke 19:28
“And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.”
In this verse, Jesus shows us that God is the Savior who Suffers.
Jesus is traveling with his disciples from Jericho to Jerusalem on his way to the Passover. This was one of three feast that devout males were to attend each year. And as you read Luke 18, and then Luke 19, you see this sense of journey from Jericho to Jerusalem.
From Jericho to Jerusalem
- Luke 18:35 – “As he drew near to Jericho…”
- Luke 19:1 – “He entered Jericho”
- Luke 19:11 – “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem…”
- Luke 19:28 – “And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.”
The fact that Luke tells us they are going to Jerusalem is incredibly important. Jerusalem wasn’t a vacation destination, wasn’t a beach or a ski trip like many of us took for Spring Break… No, Jerusalem was a death trip. Jesus is going to Jerusalem to die.
When Jesus grabs his disciples and they prepare to head into the city of Jerusalem, he knows exactly what awaits him. He’s already told his guys this ahead of time, and I shared this with you a few weeks ago…but it is so significant to see His intentionally. Look at what Jesus has already told His disicples.
Matthew 16:21
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
Matthew 17:22-23
As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Luke 18:31-34
31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Make no mistake, Jesus knew all along that he would suffer, he would experience betrayal, rejection, injustice, pain, agony, torment. All in the name of saving sinful humans.
- Jesus shows us:
- God desires to rescue us.
- God is determined to do whatever it takes, even die. (He doesn’t avoid the pain, but opens himself up to it).
I remember when our oldest, Brady went to the Naval Academy. Now, you may not know this…but he graduated last May from Baylor. So, he didn’t stay at Navy…No, it was a humbling moment for us when we first learned he didn’t see himself at Navy.
Yet, we knew one thing…we wanted him to stay during Plebe Summer and finish his training.
Every single morning of the rest of Plebe Summer, we would wake up at 4:15 central time and pray…we would pray as he was waking up at 5:30 eastern time every morning…We would pray strength. We would pray peace. We would pray for the Lord’s presence to be with him. That God would sustain him and establish him.
And here is the point…As parents, when our children are in pain, stuck in a situation, undergoing some kind of issue, we desperately desire to take it away from them.
We would rather experience the pain so they can experience peace. Our thought…our prayer…our actions even say, “Let me endure the torture so they can be freed from it.”
That’s what God is like.
- Listen, do you see that God knows suffering? You suffering? Angst, struggling, hurting? God identifies and enters in with you.
Let’s keep going…what else does Jesus reveal to us about God?
Look at Luke 19:29-36.
Luke 19:29-36
When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
What is it that Jesus reveals to us about God? The second thing I want you to see is that Jesus Reveals that…
What Jesus Reveals to Us…
- God is the Savior who Suffers
- God is the King over All
II. God is King over All
You may say, “Well, how does this show us that God is the King over all?”
To answer this, we must understand what Jesus is doing because it is here that He grabs two of his disciples and says something like…
“Let’s roll to Jerusalem, and here’s how we’ll enter the city. I want to announce my Kingship. I want people to see that the King is in the room. Go grab the colt in the village.”
- You see, the colt symbolized something about Jesus. James Edwards highlights several key emphases:
The colt plays a role attesting to Jesus’ messianic status, for in the OT the messianic king enters Jerusalem riding ‘on a colt, the foal of a donkey’ (Zechariah 9:9; Gen 49:11). Jesus’ kingly role may be further implied by the fact that the commandeering of a beast of burden was the prerogative of a king in ancient times.
And finally, Luke describes the colt as one ‘which no one has ever ridden’ (v. 30). An unbroken beast of burden was regarded as sacred (Num 19:2; Deut 2:3) and thus an appropriate mount for a king, since a king’s horse could be ridden by no one but the king.
Notice what Matthew’s account of this moment says.
Matthew 21:4-5
This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
Jesus is fulfilling a Prophecy about himself in Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he.” Here, Matthew is quoting Zechariah, so that his readers would know that Jesus is revealing his kingship…fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah.
So, he is announcing to Jerusalem that “Your King Has Arrived.” You see, in this day, Kings rode horses. They did this:
- To sit high above everyone else,
- to allow everyone to notice his importance,
- to be dignified.
- To have extra protection.
Kings rode horses.
- Further, what’s so amazing here is that Jesus knows exactly where the colt is, he knows that it’s tied up. He knows who it belongs to. He knows that people will ask questions.
Don’t miss it – Jesus shows us that God is the All-Knowing King.
Do you have unknowns in your life? Of course, you do. Take comfort, friend, God knows ALL.
Remember these words of Jesus as His disciples ask him about prayer. They say, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
And before he shares what we know as the Lord’s prayer with them, he makes this amazing statement.
Matthew 6:8b
…for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
When you trust him, you rest in him. And when you rest in him, you rest in his sovereignty for next steps and decisions and needs – that He knows what you need, even before you ask him. He is the ALL-KNOWING KING!
- c. More than that, here, we also see that Jesus even knows the colt has never been ridden before. And how does the unbroken, wild, untrained, nervous colt react when Jesus begins riding it down main street?
The horse never bucks or veers while people are all around putting palm branches and cloaks and stirring around. Why? Because Jesus shows us God is the All-Powerful King. Horses break at his authority. The world bows at his majesty.
Do you have a need for God’s power today? You need a miracle. You need God to give you a moment, a breakthrough? That’s who Jesus shows God to be!
Let me give you one more.
What Jesus Reveals to Us…
- God is the Savior who Suffers
- God is the King over All
- God Brings Peace to our Chaos
III. God brings Peace to our Chaos.
Back to the story – Luke 19:37-38.
Luke 19:37-38
As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
What kind of horse is Jesus riding? It’s a colt. What isn’t it? A stallion. A warrior King rides a stallion, while a humble and peace-bringing king rides a colt.
One writer says, “Horses were ridden into battle while donkeys became symbols of royalty and peace!”
Now, look at the response of the people. They respond to Jesus coming down mainstreet with, “Blessed is the King! We’ve seen him do all kinds of miracles! We’ve heard about all the things he’s done! He is the one who brings Peace!”
So, Jesus wants everyone to know the King is in the room! He’s on the scene, but he is a King bringing peace!
Back to Zechariah – Listen to the rest of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9-10.
Zechariah 9:9-10
Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey…he shall speak peace to the nations.
Peace is God’s proclamation to people. This is consistent all throughout Jesus’ arrival. The Christmas Narratives detail this (don’t have time to dig in, but it’s there all the way through).
- Zecharaiah, don’t be afraid.
- Joseph, don’t be afraid.
- Mary don’t be afraid.
- Shepherds don’t be afraid.
Why? God is the God of peace! He brings peace to our chaos.
Do you have some level of chaos in your life? Jesus came on the scene for God to reveal himself as the one who brings Peace to your panic.
Listen to the words of Peter…you know, the one who would often try to control the situation and take things into his own hands?
1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
He cares for you. You can cast your anxieties on Him because He cares for you. That’s what Julee and I were doing every morning all summer long…for 8 weeks straight…We were on our knees battling, praying, asking, seeking, knocking, and casting our anxieties on Jesus…because he cares for us.
And that’s what I want you to know as well. He is the:
- Savior who Suffers
- The King of All
- And the One that brings Peace to our Chaos
And the ultimate declaration of His care for you is His cross. Regardless of your response, his cross declares:
- His love for you…
- that he would lay down his life for you…
- that he would take your place…
- that he would carry your sorrows…
- that he would love you to the point of death.